THE SENTENCE AND THE

PARAGRAPH

MA. Hoang Nu Minh Chau

OUTLINE

 Formatting a Paragraph

 Paragraph Organization

 Unity and Coherence in a Paragraph

 FORMATTING A PARAGRAPH

d GODS AND GODDESSES

c The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses and
each one had their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across a. margin
a the land. Some gods and goddesses took part in creation. Other gods and b. double
goddesses brought the flood every year. Some offered protection, and some spacing
c. indent
took care of people after they died. Egyptians had local gods who represented
b towns, and minor gods who represented plants or animals. The ancient
d. title

Egyptians believed that it was important to recognize and worship these gods
and goddesses so that life continued smoothly.

 A paragraph is a group of sentences about one topic.

 FORMATTING A PARAGRAPH
 Margins
A paragraph must have a margin on the right and a margin on the left. This means that the
paragraph begins 1 inch or 1 ¼ inches from the edge of the paper.
 Spacing
A paragraph should be double-spaced.
 Indenting
The first sentence of a paragraph must be indented. This shows the readers that a new
paragraph is beginning.
 Connected Sentences
The sentences in a paragraph should follow each other. A well-supported paragraph has at
least 5 sentences and often more.
 Title
A paragraph by itself usually has a title. This tells what the topic is.
 TYPES OF PARAGRAPH

 Descriptive Paragraph

 Process Paragraph

 Narrative Paragraph

 Cause – Effect Paragraph

 Opinion Paragraph

 Example Paragraph

 Expository Paragraph

 Comparison Paragraph
 PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
Topic Sentence

Supporting Sentences
GODS AND GODDESSES
The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses
and each one had their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony
across the land. Some gods and goddesses took part in creation. Other
gods and goddesses brought the flood every year. Some offered protection,
and some took care of people after they died. Egyptians had local gods who
represented towns, and minor gods who represented plants or animals. The
ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to recognize and worship
these gods and goddesses so that life continued smoothly.

Closing Sentence
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
 TOPIC SENTENCE
• Usually appears at the beginning of the paragraph

• Presents the topic and explains what the writer will say about the topic (controlling idea).

“ There are several advantages of growing up in a small town”

 (The advantages of …)

“Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons.”

 (The reasons for …)

• Must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject

• Specific enough that the reader can understand the paragraph’s main points.

Ex: A surprise party is a kind of party. X

There were 14 guests at my surprise party. X

My classmates gave me an unforgettable surprise party for my 18th birthday √

Think of a good topic sentence for this set of details.

 Penguin Moms lay the eggs and afterwards leave to get food for
2months.
 Penguin dads incubate the egg until it hatches.
 They take turns caring for their chick and feeding in the sea.
 Once the egg hatches, the young stay sheltered in the pouch of the
mother while the father brings food.
 Examples of Topic Sentences

 Mother and father penguins play a very important role in raising

their young.
 Penguin parents are very protective of their young and this
paragraph will show you how.
 Mother and father penguins both take care of their young.
 SUPPORTING SENTENCES
• Expand on the topic sentence
• Should be presented in a systematic way, according to time, importance,
operations, etc.
• May contain: definitions, examples, explanations/reasons, descriptions, processes,
statistics, comparisons/contrasts, arguments, causes/effects, facts, and so on.

Adventure tourism is a different way for tourists to see New Zealand. This
type of tourism uses the plentiful natural resources - mountains, rivers, lakes,
wilderness areas and historical sites to provide adventure, thrills and challenges
which are low risk but high in excitement. For example, the coastal areas in New
Zealand are great for canoeing and kayaking. White-water rafting is another
popular water adventure tour.
 SUPPORTING SENTENCES
 Supporting definition

 Supporting explanation

 Supporting example
 Paragraph Details

 Topic Sentence:

“Vietnamese MOET has been thinking about extending the school year from
May to August. However, I personally believe that this idea is not the most
optimal solution.”

What are some details

you would expect to see
in this paragraph?
 Examples

 Some details in this paragraph might be about…

 Why Vietnamese MOET is extending the school year

 When they plan to extend the school year

 Reasons why it is not a good idea

 Which ideas should be more optimal

…
 CONCLUDING SENTENCE
• Restates/Summarizes the main idea
• Gives an opinion/prediction/warning, etc. about the topic

Think of a Closing Statement for this paragraph

Egypt is most famous for their pyramids. There are over 100 pyramids in
Egypt but that information is unknown to many people. The most popular and
well known pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza. They are located in Cairo.
Pyramids were tombs for pharaohs. To complete the pyramids, workers hauled
and lifted millions of limestone blocks that weighed an average of 2 and 1/2
tons each. They didn’t have iron tools or wheeled vehicles. The workers
carried each stone by hand, pulled them on sleds, and lifted them up mud
ramps to be placed on the slowly rising structure.
 Examples of Closing Statements

 Now we are glad that the Egyptians worked so hard so that we can
admire the beauty of the pyramids.
 The pyramids have been standing in Egypt for a long time, and they
will still be standing for people around the world to admire.
 We hope that someday scientist will be able to figure out how
Egyptians built these ancient structures.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PARAGRAPH?

 UNITY

 COHERENCE

 ELABORATION
 UNITY
• When a paragraph has unity, all the sentences relate directly to the main idea.

• If there is a sentence off topic at all, this begins to create confusion for your
reader.
 Find the sentence in the paragraph that destroys the unity
and should not be there.

The disappearance of Amelia Earhart remains a mystery. Earhart, who was the first
woman pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, crashed into the Pacific Ocean while
attempting to fly around the world. She was born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897. Some
researchers believe that she survived the crash into the Pacific, because radio distress
calls were received. An intensive search for the source of the signals was made.
Searchers were not able to find her, however. Finally, the distress signals ceased. In
spite of continued searches by airplane and ship, no clue about what became of Amelia
Earhart has yet been found.

She was born in Atchison, Kansas in 1897. = Doesn’t relate directly to main idea.
 COHERENCE
• A coherent paragraph is one in which all of the sentences logically fit together.

• When a paragraph has coherence, your reader can easily see how all of the
details are connected.

How?

 Order details in a way that makes sense (using time, space, order of
importance, etc.)

 Uses transitional words

 TRANSITIONS

in the same way as a result

similarly therefore
likewise finally
while in conclusion
on the other hand in summary
although lastly
however in addition
 ELABORATION
1. Use Highly Descriptive Words: vivid adj.’s & adv.’s, precise V’s & N’s.

2. Give a detailed Definition of the subject or detail.

3. Provide an Example that shows your point.

4. Use Comparison: Similes and/or Metaphors.

5. Use Contrast to show how your idea is different from something else.

6. Include a Fact to support your main idea.

7. Use a Statistic (a fact in numerical form) to support your main idea.

8. Use Sensory Details that appeals to one or more of the 5 senses.

9. Use Cause & Effect to explain how 1 thing causes another.

EDITING THE PARAGRAPH